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REGISTRATION FOR THE 2011 F=MA CONTEST HAS NOW CLOSED!

Simply complete the short registration form on-line or, if utilizing a purchase order, you can download a PDF form, complete and send to the AAPT National Office. We encourage on-line registration. You do not need to supply the names of students who will participate at this time; only the number of students.

(PLEASE NOTE: Students cannot register for the exam. A faculty member from the host site must register for students to take the exam).

Fee Structure

The fee to participate is $35 ($25 for AAPT members) per school plus:

$3 per student - WebAssign

$6 per student - Downloadable PDF

(Schools will need to return Scantron sheets)

Registration & Exams

Registration Deadline: January 3, 2011

Preliminary Exam Dates: January 18 through January 28, 2011

Ordering Exam

Faculty Members have two options for how students may take the preliminary exam:

Faculty can request a secured PDF version of the exam. A password code will be sent to your institution e-mail address along with the web address where you can download the exam. These will be sent on or about January 10, 2011. You will also receive a single hard copy of the exam and sufficient Scantron sheets for the number of registered students. These will be mailed from the AAPT Office on January 5, 2011, after the registration deadline.

Faculty can register students to the take the exam via WebAssign. Students will need access to the Internet, but no additional software will be needed. Students can register with WebAssign prior to the exam period and take several practice exams (see below). You will be sent a password to your institution e-mail address for your students to access the exam on WebAssign during the actual exam period.

Students taking the exam by either the paper plus Scantron or WebAssign options must be monitored and all normal exam protocols must be followed. Detailed procedures that should be followed will be provided for these who register their students to take the exam.

WebAssign Practice Exams

WebAssign practice exams are open to everyone without a fee. In order to take the practice exam, see the following instructions:

Two-Year College, Four Year College and University Host Sites:

Practicing & Administering the Exam

Students will be able to take three different sample tests to practice how to answer questions in WebAssign. When the exam dates are open, none of the practice exams will be available.

The student's instructor or person proctoring the exam will have the password for the "F= ma" exam and should administer the test verifying that the student took the exam. Students will get just one attempt to answer all 25 questions.

Exam Procedure for Selection of the U.S. Physics Team

There are two exams: the preliminary "F= ma" exam consisting of multiple-choice questions, and a semi-final for the top 300 to 400 students from the "F= ma" exam.

Preliminary Exam: The F=ma contest.

Multiple-choice only, focusing on mechanics; problems can be solved without the use of calculus. Exam time: 75 minutes (allow 90 minutes total to administer the exam). Administer the exam between January 18 and January 28. Post mark deadline for Scantrons to be sent to AAPT Grader is January 29. Again, we strongly encourage you to have your physics students participate in this part of the contest and are certain that they will benefit from participating in an international educational forum.

Semifinal Exam

The top 300 to 400 students based on the combined score on the preliminary exam will be invited to take this exam. This is a free response exam and may require the use of derivatives or simple integration. The exam covers all topics in introductory physics: Mechanics, E&M, Thermodynamics and Fluids, Relativity, Nuclear and Atomic Physics, and Waves and Optics. Part A: 4 problems, 90 minutes. Part B: 2 problems, 90 minutes. Allow 3.5 hours to administer the exam. Exam will be administered between March 3 and 16, 2011. Exam papers must be received back at AAPT by March 17, 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: Students taking the Semifinal Exam may be invited to be a part of the US Physics Team. Students accepting invitations to be a part of the US Team must be willing and able to attend the entire training camp - May 20th thru May 31st. They must be able to compete internationally as representatives of the US Team. This requires that they are US citizens or hold a green card and have attended school in the US for at least three years.